ABOUT a week after this the two friends sat working together, but not in
the same spirit. Pietro dashed fitfully at his, and did wonders in a few
minutes, and then did nothing, except abuse it; then presently resumed
it in a fury, to lay it down with a groan. Through all which kept calmly
working, calmly smiling, the canny Dutchman.
To be plain, Gerard, who never had a friend he did not master, had put
his Onagra in harness. The friends were painting playing cards to boil
the pot.
When done, the indignant master took up his picture to make his daily
tour in search of a customer.
Gerard begged him to take the cards as well, and try and sell them. He
looked all the rattlesnake, but eventually embraced Gerard in the
Italian fashion, and took them, after first drying the last finished
ones in the sun, which was now powerful in that happy clime.
Gerard, left alone, executed a Greek letter or two, and then mended a
little rent in his hose. His landlady found him thus employed, and
inquired ironically whether there were no women in the house.
"When you have done that," said she, "come and talk to Teresa, my friend
I spoke to thee of, that hath a husband not good for much, which brags
his acquaintance with the great."
Gerard went down, and who should Teresa be but the Roman matron.
"Ah, madama," said he, "is it you? The good dame told me not that. And
the little fair-haired boy, is he well? is he none the worse for his
voyage in that strange boat?"
"He is well," said the matron.
"Why, what are you two talking about?" said the landlady, staring at
them both in turn; "and why tremble you so, Teresa mia?"
"He saved my child's life," said Teresa, making an effort to compose
herself.
"What, my lodger? and he never told me a word of that. Art not ashamed
to look me in the face?"
"Alas! speak not harshly to him," said the matron. She then turned to
her friend and poured out a glowing description of Gerard's conduct,
during which Gerard stood blushing like a girl, and scarce recognizing
his own performance, gratitude painted it so fair.
"And to think thou shouldst ask me to serve thy lodger, of whom I knew
nought but that he had thy good word, O Fiammina: and that was enough
for me. Dear youth, in serving thee I serve myself."
Then ensued an eager description, by the two women, of what had been
done, and what should be done, to penetrate the thick wall of fees,
commissions, and chicanery, which stood between the patrons of art and
an unknown artist in the Eternal city.
Teresa smiled sadly at Gerard's simplicity in leaving specimens of his
skill at the doors of the great.
"What!" said she, "without promising the servants a share--without even
feeing them, to let the signors see thy merchandize! As well have flung
it into Tiber."
"Well-a-day!" sighed Gerard. "Then how is an artist to find a patron?
for artists are poor, not rich."
"By going to some city nobler and not so greedy as this," said Teresa.
"La corte Romana non vuol' pecora senza lana."
She fell into thought, and said she would come again to-morrow.
The landlady felicitated Gerard. "Teresa has got something in her head,"
said she.
Teresa was scarce gone when Pietro returned with his picture, looking
black as thunder. Gerard exchanged a glance with the landlady, and
followed him up stairs to console him.
"What, have they let thee bring home thy masterpiece?"
"As heretofore."
"More fools they, then."
"That is not the worst."
"Why, what is the matter?"
"They have bought the cards," yelled Pietro, and hammered the air
furiously right and left.
"All the better," said Gerard cheerfully.
"They flew at me for them. They were enraptured with them. They tried to
conceal their longing for them, but could not. I saw, I feigned, I
pillaged; curse the boobies."
And he flung down a dozen small silver coins on the floor and jumped on
them, and danced on them with basilisk eyes, and then kicked them
assiduously, and sent them spinning and flying, and running all abroad.
Down went Gerard on his knees and followed the maltreated innocents
directly, and transferred them tenderly to his purse.
"Shouldst rather smile at their ignorance, and put it to profit," said
he.
"And so I will," said Pietro, with concentrated indignation. "The
brutes! We will paint a pack a day; we will set the whole city gambling
and ruining itself, while we live like princes on its vices and
stupidity. There was one of the queens, though, I had fain have kept
back. 'Twas you limned her, brother. She had lovely red-brown hair and
sapphire eyes, and above all, soul."
"Pietro," said Gerard, softly, "I painted that one from my heart."
The quick-witted Italian nodded, and his eyes twinkled.
"You love her so well, yet leave her."
"Pietro, it is because I love her so dear that I have wandered all this
dreary road."
This interesting colloquy was interrupted by the landlady crying from
below, "Come down, you are wanted." He went down, and there was Teresa
again.
"Come with me, Ser Gerard."